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I only came close to actually playing in anger between the sticks once, it looked like almost to game time I'd have to play. Much to my relief, the second string guy was able to make it in time.

I couldn't defend a corner or a cross to save my life and my instinct was always to take someone out the few times I played there in practice. Had I played I probably would have gotten sent off in the first half.

I did ok at stopping shots and I could punt better than the starter, but I never got the hang of those stupid corners. It makes me sympathetic when commentators criticize the keeper for flapping. I was a flapper.

As for the terms, I generally use keeper and goalie interchangeably. I've never encountered anyone that does differently, even the Scottish and Italian dudes at the academy. It could be that they have joined the collective and given up. Resistance is futile.

My homework so far shows this (i.e., Legia can still draw Celtic in Group Stage):

Oops, I wondered if the formatting would get lost. Check the link Ursus provided above. My particular favorite ping-pong ball draw would be a group of: Sevilla, Celtic, Everton and Legia Warzawa. And it could happen! Torino is in Pot 4, Shooty, which might mean Spurs, Everton and who knows who else.

In England "keeper" is more commonly used than "goalie", in my experience, though you do hear both. I have never heard anyone say one or the other is "correct".

This new season is my 10th in a row as regular keeper, and I've done it for about 25 seasons in total. You don't have to be as fit to stay in the side...

What is the furthest that a bottom-rung team has advanced in the FA Cup?
Or, which team has played further into the tournament than any other, given their league level?

Since the cup was reorganised in the 1920s into its present format:

- teams from the 2nd tier have reached the final (Last in 2008, Cardiff) and won the cup (last in 1980, West Ham)
- teams from the 3rd tier (current league 1) have reached the semi final 10 times (last in 2014, Sheffield United) but none of them have got to the final.
- teams from the 4th tier (current league 2) have reached the quarter final, ie the last 8, but none have got to the semis.
- no non league teams (tier 5 and below)have got further than the fifth round, ie the last 16. Crawley Town was the last to do this in 2011.

the lowest ranked team to reach the 3rd round, ie the last 64 where the PL and Championship sides join, is Chasetown, who were playing in the South Midlands League - 8th tier - when they got there in 2008.

Danny Rose: From whipping boy to an England call up in just two games! Is Hodgson finally going to cast a wider net to build a more functional team or is calling up guys like Colback, Rose and Delph just for show?

Makes sense from Platini's perspective, as he has time on his side and is best served by staying out of FIFA while they deal with the Qatar mess (not to mention what are likely to be increased calls to take 2018 away from a UEFA country given their abandonment of any pretense about the invasion).

Makes sense from Platini's perspective, as he has time on his side and is best served by staying out of FIFA while they deal with the Qatar mess (not to mention what are likely to be increased calls to take 2018 away from a UEFA country given their abandonment of any pretense about the invasion).

I only came close to actually playing in anger between the sticks once, it looked like almost to game time I'd have to play.

For the first 12 years of my playing career (house league, rec league), I was a mid-fielder.
Then, in the last year I played before heading off to university, I played keeper (because no one else would).
From then on, I was nothing but a keeper during university and post-graduation (playing on my wife's co-ed university rec league teams).
(I played for 6 more years, and then she graduated (a 3rd bachelor degree, and then a masters) and ended our options to play.)

I really enjoyed playing that position. My definite weakness (other than advancing age the last couple of years) was not being aggressive enough on corner kicks (sitting on my line), and trying to react to the header. My strength was my quickness when I did decide to move. On clear chances, I would dash out faster than the opponent would expect and kill the chance before it developed. My highlight as a keeper was rushing out to intercept a cross to the top of the box, and then rolling the ball forward and taking off down the pitch. I was faster than the midfielders (who were taken aback and assumed I would pass it), and would have had a shot on net if I wasn't fouled from behind by the last defender. Then my wife took the free kick from outside the box, and drilled a low heavy shot that slipped by everyone and just inside the far post (her only goal during regulation in the 6 years we played together).

If I were to play again, it would probably be as a keeper (as my endurance level has bottomed-out recently).

We should organize ourselves into a team and join Serie B. Who's with me?

I'm in, as long as we play our home games in some cool location and not some Italian sh*t hole. I'm too old and out of shape to really play soccer; I want to be the guy that holds the signboard up with substitutes' numbers and stoppage time. That seems like it would be a pretty easy gig.

I say we spend the 14 dollars it would take to buy this club and petrodollar our way to Serie B. A hundred or so petrodollars should do it. If the schedule aligns, we could get some serious cash from a yo-yo club like Livorno or Bari to take a season-ending dive.

Porto are actually at the bottom of pot 1, and could be in danger of dropping into pot 2 next season unless they do well this season (Schalke and Dortmund were at the top of pot 2 this time around). Of course, getting an easy group tends to result in a club gaining coefficient points, which improves their pot position, which . . . And Portugal's country coefficient (which accounts for a quarter of the total) has been improving lately. Portugal recently passed Italy, and given Italian clubs' miserable start to this campaign, that ranking is only likely to become more well established this season.

franny, I think it would take more than 10 euro to buy Como (though I admire the choice, particularly given Joe's criterion).

Olympique Lyon, Real Sociedad, Lokomotiv Moscow and FC Twente all recent participants in the Champions League who have been turfed out of the Europa League by "lesser" opposition before things really got going.

Feyenoord - FC Zorya Luhansk appears to have been a crazy one. Feyenoord score 3 goals by the 48th minute and take a seemingly comfortable 4-1 lead in the tie. However, Zorya score 3 times to level the tie at 4-4 and would progress on away goals...except Feyenoord scored in the 92nd minute to progress.

Too bad about Hull, though. I'm shocked Sociedad are out with all the success Spanish teams have had in this tournament lately. My dream draw for the next round has nothing to do with Spurs or Torino, though--Celtic and Legia Warsaw!

Spurs with a decent draw aside from Besiktas. I'm just glad they didn't get a Russian or Ukrainian team. Torino should get through their group and also avoided a trip to the two countries currently at war. Everton got a tough draw with Lille, Wolfsburg and a long trip to Krasnodar. I'd say that group arguably passes for a Europa League group of death.

By the way, many media outlets are having fun today pointing out that Man U have easily the most expensively constructed squad in England now. Honestly, I would not have guessed that. I would have assumed City or Chelsea were #1, but nope!

I think there's far too much animus directed at Torres from LFC fans. The guy had a spell of two-three seasons of being nearly unplayable, and then left LFC with a huge windfall. It's not his fault they pissed 70% of that down the drain. Admittedly, though, I've got a real soft spot for Torres. His first year at the club coincided with my first year following LFC. Some of the goals and touches in this video are just stunning.

From some of the video of Rubio he looks like he could fill the Dempsey role (withdrawn striker) perfectly on the USMNT in a couple of years. Very skilled on the ball and although his father is Mexican he's been quoted as saying he feels 100% American and he is 100% becoming a UMSNT player.

Oh what a happy day! I don't hate Torres, but its clear that its just time for him to move on. I like Remy, but obviously the heart issue that seemingly held up his Liverpool deal is a concern. I can't help but still be a little sore about Lukaku leaving. He would have been the clear 2nd choice with tons of opportunity to play, but spilled milk and all. Milan is being run by insane AND incompetent people right now.

For such a top signing at the time, its amazing how little of chance Kagawa has had.

Don't forget about injuries, Spivey. Pretty sure Torres had a string of hamstring injuries at Liverpool. Heck, going back about a calendar year before his transfer to Chelsea, Torres did not look the same player as his peak form, although the gradual deterioration of the squad certainly didn't help.

So that's now Kagawa and Sahin back at Dortmund after not-so-successful transfers. Two more data points that suggest Klopp really knows what he's doing.

Is this really evidence of that? They taking him on loan, not buying for some huge sum.

They will be paying massive wages, and there glee at selling Mario for £16million speaks to a certain cluelessness. That's a few more million than Shane Long, that's £12million less than Lukakau. Add in the fact that Torres is a player with negative value, unless its for selling shirts this is still likely to be a bad deal.

Sat down to watch the rare MLS game tonight(SKC/Houston) and within 15 minutes I've seen enough bad ref work, silly handbags and porous defense to decide I'll just save up my football watching for tomorrow morning and afternoon. These refs really are as unqualified as the players often state.